One of the nation’s most celebrated writers, Percival Everett, author of “James,” the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction – visited with students and presented a keynote lecture open to the community, courtesy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partnership with the Carolyn Benton Cockefair Chair and the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City.
Everett is a distinguished professor of English at the University of Southern California, known for his award-winning novels. His novel “James,” in addition to the National Book Award for Fiction, won the 2024 Kirkus Prize and recently the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. “James” is a retells “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain through Jim’s perspective.
Everett hosted a small Q&A session with UMKC writing students earlier in the day before delivering his lecture to a packed Spencer Theatre.
John Barton, Ph.D., department chair and professor of English, welcomed Everett to the stage.
“It’s a distinct honor and privilege to introduce distinguished Professor Everett,” Barton said. “As a professor in English who teaches literature, I want to say thank you for the literary world you created.”
Everett talked briefly about what he admired about Twain, what he learned from his writing and what brought him to write fiction. In his own life, Everett said it helped him with observation, how knowledge often comes from places you’d never expect. He shared earlier experiences from when he was a child to when he was a ranch hand as an adult. His message: avoid making assumptions.
“It is often assumed that just because some people have the same skin color, they have the same experience,” Everett said. “But it is more complicated than that. Our location, our upbringing and the culture we’re around all influences our experience.”
Everett also read excerpts from “James” and dove into the reason why he wrote the book and the meaning behind it. Afterwards, he answered questions from the audience and hosted a book signing for those who attended.
Many prominent figures in the community attended, including Kansas City’s civic leader Alvin Brooks and Carmaletta Williams, CEO at the Black Archives of Mid-America.
Everett has written in many different genres, and his books are often thought-provoking and satirical at the same time. His novel, “Erasure,” provided the foundation for the 2023 film “American Fiction.” The film received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
UMKC brings in speakers of national stature each year as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture Series. In 2024, the university hosted Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott, a noted filmmaker whose play “Becoming Martin” is about the early life of King.
The Cockefair Chair at UMKC presents an acclaimed lecture series and popular continuing education courses. For 60 years, Cockefair programs have engaged Kansas Citians. The Cockefair Chair also partners with regional civic organizations including the Black Archives of Mid-America to bring in high-caliber speakers like Everett.